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What career paths could a major in sociology lead to, and what training do those jobs require?
#JULY20 #sociology #career #college-major #career-choice #careers
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6 answers
Updated
Calvin’s Answer
Hi Sylvia,
You have received some great recommendations. I agree with all of them. One area that might be a bit different is Workplace strategy. This would mean that you would collaborate with workspace designers to create a space for human needs and best human experience possible. Something different, which your degree can definitely help with.
Best of luck!
Calvin
You have received some great recommendations. I agree with all of them. One area that might be a bit different is Workplace strategy. This would mean that you would collaborate with workspace designers to create a space for human needs and best human experience possible. Something different, which your degree can definitely help with.
Best of luck!
Calvin
Updated
Bridget’s Answer
I think one of the benefits of majoring in Sociology is that there are many different career paths you can pursue with a Sociology degree. Understanding people and societies can be a very helpful skill in any role. In your Sociology courses, you will develop strong research and writing skills, data analysis, communication, etc., which are all really important and valuable in many careers. I majored in Sociology and worked in finance for a few years before switching to employee and community engagement.
Updated
Sarah M.’s Answer
I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Social Sciences) with a sociology major, and an abundance of other courses in related topics like gender studies, anthropology and religious studies. With a sociology major, you'll learn about human behaviour and society. This can be differing theories about how people interact, organise, societal norms, theories about deviance. As with many social sciences, there is a wide variety of thought and academic research and theories, and this has changed a lot over time. I covered classical theories, through to post-modernism, and I'm sure many more have been added in the years since I graduated. Additional courses around gender and other social characteristics build upon these, and often can give you a more real-life twist on some pretty abstract theory.
Learning about the way people interact with their communities, economies, and the world - the place we have, the power we can have, and what might shape that, and the critical research and thinking skills that come with it, have enabled me with my further studies in law, and now as a business analyst and leader. Observing and questioning things is really important in modern life, as ever.
Honestly, I think learning like this can be beneficial in any career! It may not be a specific role, but it will help you communicate, understand and interact with the world. Sociology graduates have careers in policy analysis, central and local government, the media and journalism, social and health research, business, marketing and union advocacy - the training or certification required for those individual roles will vary, of course, but the understanding and critical thinking that comes with a social science degree is a good foundation.
If you are considering studying sociology for a specific career choice, it may be that there are more specific degrees that are appropriate, such as for social work or law, in many jurisdictions. These will often touch on sociological concepts, but generally teach you more job specific and practical skills beyond the theoretical and research driven work in pure sociology. If that's what you want to do - I'd encourage you to look at more targeted training and courses directly, so as to avoid accumulating too much student loan debt, for example!
Learning about the way people interact with their communities, economies, and the world - the place we have, the power we can have, and what might shape that, and the critical research and thinking skills that come with it, have enabled me with my further studies in law, and now as a business analyst and leader. Observing and questioning things is really important in modern life, as ever.
Honestly, I think learning like this can be beneficial in any career! It may not be a specific role, but it will help you communicate, understand and interact with the world. Sociology graduates have careers in policy analysis, central and local government, the media and journalism, social and health research, business, marketing and union advocacy - the training or certification required for those individual roles will vary, of course, but the understanding and critical thinking that comes with a social science degree is a good foundation.
If you are considering studying sociology for a specific career choice, it may be that there are more specific degrees that are appropriate, such as for social work or law, in many jurisdictions. These will often touch on sociological concepts, but generally teach you more job specific and practical skills beyond the theoretical and research driven work in pure sociology. If that's what you want to do - I'd encourage you to look at more targeted training and courses directly, so as to avoid accumulating too much student loan debt, for example!
Updated
Jessica’s Answer
I also majored in sociology and some of the related jobs/industries to get with a sociology degree are:
-Law enforcement/probation
-Working with trauma populations
-Social work/adoption agencies
-Substance abuse or behavioral treatment centers
-School counselor
Getting a sociology degree can open the doors for other jobs like diversity and inclusion leaders or marketing. Each field has its own training, such as licensed social workers have to go through a certain number of hours of training before graduation.
Masters of Social Work
Volunteering at a treatment center or group home
-Law enforcement/probation
-Working with trauma populations
-Social work/adoption agencies
-Substance abuse or behavioral treatment centers
-School counselor
Getting a sociology degree can open the doors for other jobs like diversity and inclusion leaders or marketing. Each field has its own training, such as licensed social workers have to go through a certain number of hours of training before graduation.
Jessica recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Mariah’s Answer
I majored in Sociology in college and these are some career paths.
Social work
Non profit
City planning
Human Resources
I chose the HR path.
Masters degree
Social work
Non profit
City planning
Human Resources
I chose the HR path.
Mariah recommends the following next steps:
Jennifer Bouquot, She/Her/Hers, SHRM-SCP
Leadership Development
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Answers
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Jennifer’s Answer
A degree in Sociology can be beneficial for roles in Social Work, Patient Advocates, Counseling and Human Resources. Look for opportunities to talk to people in the profession to understand what their daily responsibilities are so you can see if that matches your values and passions.
Shadow someone in the profession
Jennifer recommends the following next steps: